


How to Accidentally Stalk Somebody

by Aieika



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 08:38:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5999247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aieika/pseuds/Aieika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neither Eren nor Levi planned to start stalking each other at the coffee shop, nor did they realize that was totally what they were doing (Mike knew but he kept that to himself).</p>
            </blockquote>





	How to Accidentally Stalk Somebody

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wordjunket](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordjunket/gifts).



> For WordJunket. Sorry for the late ereri secret santa Pinch hit! But I suppose better late than never right? 
> 
> Prompt: I’m a sucker for a coffee-shop AU, though as a bit of a challenge, how about neither Eren nor Levi work there, but it still becomes their go-to place to see *coughstalkcough* one another.

The first time Levi saw Eren at the coffee shop, the kid was chatting up Mike. Levi was behind him in line and very impatient. Mike owned the coffee shop and was one of Levi’s good friends. Eren, whom had given his name to Mike, was obviously a college student if the book bag was any indication. Eren didn’t notice Levi, or Levi’s impatient glare, at all.

 

When the kid finally left, Levi turned his gaze on Mike, who grinned rather smugly.

 

“Well I, at least, still got it,” was Mike’s only response. Levi told him to shut up and make his usual already.

 

* * *

 

 

The first time Eren saw Levi, was only two days later. Eren had been going to go talk to the really hot, tall, barista again, and Levi was in front of him. Eren learned Levi’s name because Mike called him by it. They talked like they knew each other. When Levi turned to leave he took no notice of Eren. Eren did think that Levi was rather hot himself, but in a completely different way.

 

He gave a big smile to Mike, who saw him and said, “Hey! Eric right?” Eren’s hope was crushed. He had remembered, but not enough to show that he was interested. Woe was him.

 

Eren made his order and didn’t flirt as openly as before. He noticed that Mike made no effort to flirt with him. Eren could take a hint.

 

* * *

 

 

The second time Levi saw Eren, Eren also saw him. Levi had brought his computer with him so that he might be able to get some decent work done on his novel. The only open table had been next to Eren’s and the second chair had been pulled away by one of the many study groups that littered the café.

 

When Levi sat down with huff, he was facing Eren, who was obviously in the middle of midterms and had so many books on the table in front of him it looked like the table might crumble under the weight at any moment. Unlike the others, he was clearly studying alone. Eren had looked up at the noise, and they made eye contact for the first time. Levi vaguely recalled that this was the kid that had chatted up Mike. He also remembered that Mike had told him that he had shut the kid down. Levi looked down to his lap top when Eren broke the eye contact first to turn back to the book that looked to note-covered to resell.

 

Levi thought that Eren was pretty cute.

 

Levi frowned at himself and started to type.

 

* * *

 

 

Afterwards it became somewhat of a habit. It hadn’t started consciously, but Eren chose to study in that little café, and Levi chose to write there, always around the same time.

 

They sat in the same place, without really understanding what they were doing. All Levi knew was that the hero of his story was in love with a pair of green eyes, and that he had trouble writing the scenes where that was relevant anywhere but the place of inspiration for them. He was planning a bigger metaphor, he would swear up and down in his own mind.

 

Eren found it peaceful. He noticed that people tended to shut up when Levi glared at them, and so he had begun taking notice of when he came to the café, and started matching his schedule, which didn’t seem that different than his own. In his heart of hearts, he found the idea of silently studying with someone somewhat romantic, although the thought never really reached any point of connection with Levi.

 

That is until one day, when Eren arrived before Levi and sat in his usual spot and took out all of his books and pens, he realized that Levi’s table was occupied by someone who clearly wasn’t Levi. In fact, when Eren looked around, he realized that _every_ table in the café was filled. He heard the little bell above the door and he glanced towards the sound only to lock eyes with Levi for a moment too long to be considered casual. Levi broke contact first to look at his usual table only to see it occupied. Levi frowned as he went to order his drink.

 

Looking around, Levi saw that there were no open tables at all. He didn’t want to leave, he had a very long scene to write with the mysterious green eyes and he knew from experience that the scene was not going to get written at home. He causally glanced at Eren’s table only to accidently lock eyes with his again.

 

Eren blinked and then smiled and waved him over.

 

With only a moment of hesitation, Levi approached Eren for the first time in the _months_ that he had been sitting at his particular spot, because before he just hadn’t cared.

 

Eren was still smiling although a bit nervously and he was scratching the back of his head in a nervous habit sort of way. “You can sit here if you want, I can shove some books out of the way.”

 

Levi looked at the table that was over half covered with Eren’s books and instead of answering, he sat down. Levi might have been good at words when he was writing them, but he found saying them much harder.

 

“I’m Eren,” he said reaching out his hand a little sheepishly. He already knew Levi’s name from conversations he had overheard from Mike the barista.

 

“Levi,” he replied shacking Eren’s hand, pleased to note that it wasn’t sweaty or gross feeling at all, and embarrassed to think that he already knew the kids name.

 

* * *

 

 

From then on, it became a new routine. Levi would instead take a seat at Eren’s table, and Eren would move his books out of the way (stacked for easy moving because he never wanted Levi to feel like he _expected_ him).

 

They would idly chat, and Levi’s green eyed character became more detailed, and Eren’s heart would flutter at the slight romance of the casual (and totally accidental they both would swear) way their legs would barely touch as they got situated.

 

And even more slowly still they would start to talk about things of more importance (such as the way that dirt and disease and grim freaked Levi out enough that it was a diagnosed condition and he occasionally had to take anxiety meds if he was in too public and perceived dirty of a place for too long of a time, and such as Eren being pressured by his father to complete medical school and become a surgeon when Eren just wanted to be physical therapist).

 

Then one day, they were reminded of the news that Mike was closing the shop for a short time for much needed renovations. (“Come on guys, I need to close, the movers are taking the furniture to storage any minute now!”)

 

Neither had really known what to do with news except that they never planned to meet at all. They just always did. So they had just not thought about the fact that they were not going to have the coffee shop to meet in for quite a while.

 

Levi had been feigning work on his book for two weeks while his editor was taking his sweet time with the manuscript, and Eren had actually been on summer break for the past three weeks, and had no actual homework despite the pile of books around him.

 

And for the first time, they left the café together. They both stood there for a moment before Levi quickly took a piece of paper out of his pocket and thrust it in his closed fist towards Eren without really looking at him. Eren accepted the offering with a confused look on his face and Levi was nervous. He was a little over a decade older then Eren, and he had kept that paper in his pocket for the past month now, waiting for the right time to give it to him.

 

Eren opened the paper and then Levi couldn’t look away because the way Eren smiled made his eyes look like emeralds, and now Levi was being sappy and he really needed to stop while he was ahead because Eren did not look grossed out at all.

 

In fact Levi watched as Eren reached into his own pocket and offered a little crumpled piece of paper not unlike the one he had just given Eren.

 

Levi took it and looked at it barely daring to breath. On it was a ten digit number and Eren’s name (first _and_ last) and it looked like it had been in his pocket for quite some time as well, as the ink was a little faded and the creases were soft.

 

When they turned to leave with a perfectly causal goodbye, they knew that this was not a final parting. Levi left with a little flutter in his chest, and Eren had an extra bounce in his step.

 

This was not the last time they would meet.    

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr: http://aieika.tumblr.com/


End file.
